Prayers for peace from the Middle East
The 7th of October, marked one year since terrible violence broke out with a massive attack from Hamas on Israel.
The violence has spread over into other Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon and Syria. The unprecedented pager and walkie-talkie attacks in September in Lebanon and Syria were another escalation in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Many Lebanese people feel they’re part of a terrible Hollywood movie. “If it had appeared in a movie or book, people would dismiss it as science fiction,” a Lebanese partner of Open Doors said about the attacks.
The war between Hamas and Israel has led to the death of tens of thousands of people to massive destruction in the Gaza Strip. The violence has spread over into other Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon and Syria. With still no end of the violence in sight, the Middle East continues to be in the headlines of international news.
The bombings and shelling in the North of Israel between Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and Israel happen frequently since the Gaza-war started. Not a full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel, but the people in Lebanon, including the Christians, are in continuous fear of what is to come.
In these moments, it can be hard to know what to do. But as Christians, we know we can pray.
What can we pray for those who are living in Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria in this situation? We as Christians of course pray that the Lord will end all the violence in that region, that He will bring lasting peace to the area. We pray for all the suffering people on every side in this conflict. We especially pray for our brothers and sisters, for the followers of Jesus Christ among the Israeli, Lebanese, Palestinian and the Syrian people.
We asked Christians from the Middle East what they pray for and how we can pray with them. We received the following prayer requests.
Please pray:
In Lebanon Christians say they are fearing for what might follow the pager and walkie talkie attacks. “What is still yet to come that looms most heavily – the intangible dread, uncertainty, and anticipation of the next attack. Hezbollah, blaming Israel, has promised to retaliate, and the region once again hangs in suspension as elite Israeli troops, diverted from Gaza, position themselves along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Psychological warfare has become as real as the tangible components of bombs and bullets,” says one of our partners in Lebanon.
“We ask for your prayers and support. A political solution continues to elude this conflict, one that has flared and simmered for decades. And while there have been several notable flare ups in this conflict that appeared to bring it to the edge of a larger war, this time seems different.”
In Israel, a messianic believer says about the most recent attack on Hezbollah that what happened in Lebanon “is something that can be turned around and used by our enemies against us [the followers of Jesus in Israel]… Life and death, war and peace, love and hate are all complex issues that only the true God and Father can resolve… and He will. Glory to Him! It will not come by our might, nor by our power or abilities, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Help us, Lord!”
A Christian from Palestine asks us to follow him in his prayer: “Heavenly Father, Lord of mercies, we ask You today to look down from Heaven and heal the Middle East. Many innocent people were killed and many more are in pain. You are our only hope, our Stronghold we can run to daily. We cry to You Lord to hear our prayers. In the precious name of Jesus we pray.”